She Was Like A Cloud
by TenTailedBunnyDemon
Summary: TemarixShikamaru. Temari is in Konoha and finds Shikamaru napping under a tree....events unfold. This is my first fic so please be nice in reviews! if you DO review that is, which you should do!


She Was Like A Cloud

**A/N:** This is set sometime during Season 9 of the anime, just because I felt that was about the right time. So Shikamaru and Temari have met at the Chuunin exams, etc. and the Sasuke Retrieval arc has also already happened (i.e. Shikamaru thinking of all these genius ways to beat Tayuya and then Temari coming along and doing it in one blow! I loved that). TemShika and the first fic I've ever written.

The characters belong to Kishimoto, and the plot belongs to me.

ooo

Shikamaru lay on his back in the grass, gazing up at the blue summer sky with a lazy smile on his face. The tree that spread its branches over him cast a pleasant shade, and he watched peacefully as some of its leaves were caught in the warm breeze and born up into the sky, where they gleamed in the sunlight and were carried away.

In the distance, down the hill, Shikamaru could see (if he lifted his head to look, that is) the village, where all the buildings cast dark blue shadows in the midday sun. Around him the air was gentle and warm, birds sang, and he could smell the grass and the flowers. The lazy ninja sighed contentedly and interlaced his hands as they rested on this stomach, looking up at the slowly shifting clouds. He was satisfied. He let himself take in the warmth of the ground and the air, and sink into the calming noises of the forest as his eyes drooped shut. He dreamt that a cloud came down from the sky and he held it in his arms like a pillow.

ooo

"I'm very grateful to the Sand village for sending me help so quickly." The Hokage smiled. "Most of our ninja were busy—yeah, most of them," the woman rolled her eyes ruefully, "but since it's summer I decided to give some people a break. Still, I needed someone to help guard that bridge construction. I'm obliged to you for completing the mission, Temari. You're welcome to stay here as long as you'd like!"

Temari smiled in return and bowed. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama!"

Having been dismissed, she was now wandering down one of the sunny streets of Konoha. The Hokage _had _mentioned that most of the ninja were away on missions, but that some of them were still in the village (and this last part was accompanied by subtle, knowing smile). Temari grinned to herself, and after stopping to eat lunch at a store, went in search of a certain lazy ninja.

Temari knew it—she liked Shikamaru. A lot. She smirked happily. She enjoyed his company and just his simple, laid back attitude about life. They balanced each other. She _really_ wanted to find him. She had to admit it—she was in love.

It wasn't like a burst of fireworks or an anvil falling on her head, sudden or dramatic. It was just true. As if it had always been there, and gradually she had become aware of it, like clouds drifting overhead. Which there were—Temari looked up at the sunny sky, and smiled. She knew where Shikamaru was.

ooo

As Temari approached the hill she saw Shikamaru's sleeping form on the grass under the shade of the tree. She smirked to herself. Just because she loved him didn't mean she could make his life…._troublesome_. Before she even knew it, a small, delighted, and slightly roguish laugh escaped from her lips and she put a hand over her smiling mouth—no noise! He was asleep!

The Sand ninja crept through the grass towards her target. He was lying on his back, one hand resting on his slowly rising and falling chest, the other at his side. His face was relaxed and peaceful and Temari contained her delighted laughter once more. She sat down next to him, and then leaned down on her elbow, so that their faces were a few inches apart.

Temari remained there, gazing at Shikamaru's sleeping face, for several minutes. She sighed happily and wondered when he'd wake up. She could just see his look of indignation! He would glare at her for a moment, wonder what she'd done to him while he had been defenselessly napping (nothing, of course!), and then he would probably settle back down anyway and smile lazily at her and she would feel her stomach turn over. Temari grinned.

Just then, a little movement in the grass on Shikamaru's other side caught her attention. Temari looked closer and saw a small snake rearing its head next to his open palm, its tiny jaws opened it an inaudible hiss. She narrowed her eyes at it venomously, as if daring it to move, and noticed its markings—poisonous. Slowly, she took off one of her shoes and leaned over Shikamaru. Before the snake could react, her shoe had connected with its head, and it went flying several feet away into a bush.

Temari nodded curtly in its direction as if to say, "Well, _you _aren't a problem anymore," and moved back to sitting upright—she gasped. Shikamaru was gone! In the grass where he had been, small wisps of darkness were melting away. The Sand ninja growled. "A shadow clone?!"

A very familiar and very amused laugh carried to her ears from the tree behind her. Temari whirled around, and yes! There was Shikamaru, smiling lazily, crouching on a tree branch overhead. He smiled at her for a moment more and then blinked idly, tipping his head to the side. "You're one troublesome lady."

ooo

Shikamaru watched as Temari bent over his sleeping shadow clone and watched its face. He smirked—was it possible to be jealous of oneself? When he had seen her coming (for he hadn't been asleep) he had thought of staying there and _pretending_ to nap when she came, too see what would happen, but then he realized that if he really wanted to _see _what happened he should have his eyes open, and he couldn't do that while pretending to sleep….the obvious solution: a shadow clone.

Shikamaru clasped his hands together. It really was a genius plan! Now he could watch Temari act towards him as she would act if she thought he didn't know. He held his breath. She leaned in close to the fake sleeping Shikamaru, and an infinitely tender, loving expression rested on her features as her lips curved into a warm, bright, fierce smile.

Shikamaru felt his heart skip a beat, and his breath caught, and all the sounds and shapes around him seemed to float away until all he saw was her shining face, so close to his. His clone's, anyway. It was at this moment that Shikamaru realized that she was like a cloud….sometimes so terrifying and powerful, like a thunderhead on the horizon, and sometimes calm and gentle like a peaceful white cloud in the summer sky. Unbeknownst to the subject of his thoughts, Shikamaru smiled in reply.

Then Temari moved, and he awoke from his dreamlike state, and blinked. His attention returned to the girl on the grass below. She was looking at something to the left of his fake self. A snake moving in the grass? Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and wondered how she'd deal with it. Suddenly, she struck—much faster than the snake probably was, he thought to himself with an grin—and Shikamaru suppressed a laugh, and realized that she'd been angry at it for trying to bite _him_. She was _protecting _him. Quite fiercely.

As small as the action was—they were both powerful ninja after all, and what was a snake?—Shikamaru was touched. There was this feeling like butterflies flitting frantically around in his heart. He poked himself in the chest there but it didn't go away. He shrugged, and smiled, as the offending snake went sailing away through the sunny air and the shadow clone disappeared.

Temari gasped and spun around to face him as Shikamaru laughed. "You're one troublesome lady."

Temari, who had been staring dumbstruck, now laughed along with him. "Oh, are you stuck up there, like a lost kite? Do you need me to come and let you cry on my shoulder? Or should I blow you out of the tree with my fan?" She was smiling in a very scary way, Shikamaru thought.

"No, I think I can do that on my own."

"I'm _sure_ you can." The Sand ninja folded her arms and smiled in challenge.

Shikamaru jumped down to stand beside her, and looked at her out of the corners of his eyes. "But I still wouldn't mind leaning against your shoulder."

ooo

Did Temari just hear what she _thought _she heard? She narrowed an eye at the other ninja. "Huh?"

Shikamaru yawned and stretched. "I mean, you seemed pretty interested in getting close to me before."

Temari glared at him and blushed. It was just beginning to sink in. He had seen her watching him that whole time! "Ah—but that wasn't _you,_ it was a clone!"

"You _thought _it was me."

"Well, it _looked _like you!"

"Well _obviously_."

They looked at each other and laughed. Shikamaru sat down in the grass and Temari followed suit; then he lay down on his back, as she had seen him do when she came in the beginning, although that hadn't been _him, _she remembered with silent irk. He was looking upwards at the clouds, a lazy smile on his face—but Temari knew he was still focusing on her.

"Why were you looking at me before?" It was an honest, casual question, barely a whisper, but he knew she could hear him. His eyes were closed. He waited patiently for a reply.

Temari swallowed and looked back and forth as if the surrounding trees and hills would give her an answer. They actually did. "I, ah, saw a mosquito on your face."

Shikamaru snorted and then looked up at her with a teasing grin. "And you just did nothing and let it drink my blood? You_ are _heartless."

Temari smiled in amusement, and thought for a moment. There really was no point in hiding any longer, was there? This was the _real _Shikamaru, and he was awake. She leaned down towards him, holding his gaze, until their noses were almost touching. "I'm only heartless because you_ took_ my heart, you lazy excuse for a…."

She didn't finish, but gave him _that_ _smile, _the way she had been looking at him before, that made Shikamaru's heart melt. She looked down at his parted lips, and his lazy, loving gaze—she moved closer, and wrapped her arms around him—and then their lips met.

There were no thunderclaps or theatrical clashes of lightning. There was just them, together, surrounded by the warm summer air, under a tree, under the blue sky, under the clouds drifting past.

ooo

**A/N:** Not to brag, but I thought that was _way too cute!_ I just _love_ them together. I saw this whole scene really vividly in my head (while I was going to sleep, and it was sooo nice!) so I hope that came through and was in character and as sweet as I imagined it!

I hope you liked it! Please review! Constructive criticism is always welcome, whether it's about grammar or word choice or the plot.

Also, the line _It was at this moment that Shikamaru realized that she was like a cloud, _is something I read in someone else's fic so if it's yours thank you for the inspiration, and I don't claim ownership of your genius writing! That line pretty much inspired this whole thing.

And thank you to my sister for the title idea.

Review please!


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